Purpose:
Vision loss is a major public health problem in the United States. Eye diseases, conditions, and injuries cause significant suffering, disability, loss of productivity, and diminished quality of life for millions of people. Reflecting the importance of vision health, fifteen vision objectives were included as a new topic area in the national health goals - Healthy People 2020.Healthy People 2020 vision objectives represent a comprehensive look at vision health promotion and vision loss prevention at the national level. There are 12 vision objectives for adults and 3 for children.
Methods:
The National Eye Institute, NIH, in collaboration with the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, used data from the National Health Interview Survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to provide baselines and establish Healthy People 2020 targets for the national vision objectives. The national estimates of visual impairment due to cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and refractive errors; prevalence of occupational eye injuries; and use of eye care services and protective eyewear were produced. The distribution of these eye conditions and eye care services utilization in various demographic subgroups are described to measure existing disparities.
Results:
In 2008, 55% of adults 18 years and over reported having a dilated eye exam in the past 2 years and 40% of preschool children had their vision tested. The most frequent eye condition was uncorrected refractive errors: about 14% of persons 12 years and older were diagnosed during 2005-2008 NHANES vision examination. Use of vision rehabilitation services and adaptive devices among visually impaired adults 18 years and over was low: only 3% of adults used rehabilitation services and 11% used visual adaptive devices in 2008. Use of eye care services and prevalence of visual impairment were more prevalent among certain racial and ethnic groups as well as lower income levels.
Conclusions:
As a result of the Healthy People vision working group efforts national data are currently available to provide a framework for future public health initiatives relating to visual health promotion. During the decade the Healthy People Workgroup will be monitoring the vision objectives to assess progress towards achieving Healthy People 2020 targets.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • diabetic retinopathy • cataract